Friday, March 17, 2006

As we get closer to the 3rd anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, contributor Al Huebner of the independent Vermont Guardian tallies up some of the costs, casualties, and consequences in a commentary today. PTSD is covered. And, for those interested, economic data is found in a comprehensive paper by Linda Bilmes and Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz.

Statistically, eight soldiers are wounded for every one killed, about double the rate in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, according to recent studies. The percentage of soldiers who have undergone amputation is twice that of our past military conflicts; nearly a quarter of all the wounded suffer from traumatic head injuries, also at a far higher rate than in other recent wars.

Later, the issue of posttraumatic stress disorder is highlighted:

The unpredictable IED attacks, protracted urban combat, and high incidence of casualties produce an elevated rate of psychological illness — one soldier in six according to a study done last year — notably post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sufferers have harrowing flashbacks and alternate between emotional numbness and outbreaks of rage, guilt, and depression. They experience impaired memory, insomnia, and anxiety.

A recent issue of the British periodical New Scientist has pieced together new evidence on the effects of PTSD. It shows that affected veterans will pay the price of combat for decades to come. Recent and soon-to-be published research shows that those suffering from PTSD who fought in combat as diverse as Vietnam and Lebanon are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even cancer later in life.

Boscarino isn’t alone in his view that PTSD is a general threat to health. Last March, Yael Benyamini and colleagues at Tel Aviv University reported that among Israeli veterans of fighting in Lebanon in 1982, those who developed PTSD are now twice as likely to have high blood pressure, ulcers, and diabetes, and five times as likely to have heart disease as those who didn’t develop PTSD. According to Benyamini and his colleagues, “PTSD is the key mechanism that leads from the trauma to poorer health.”

Last year, a study by army scientists at Walter Reed Medical Center concluded that PTSD may affect as many as 18 percent of U.S. veterans from Iraq, or roughly 60,000 people given current troop levels. Timely psychological help might mitigate the problem, yet the Walter Reed group found that only a third of the Iraqi veterans with PTSD were getting help from a mental health professional a year after their return. In February, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported that the Department of Veteran Affairs had not fully met any of the recommendations its own advisors had offered to ensure better treatment of PTSD.

The commentary also looks at the economic costs of the war:

What is the cost of this armed conflict? There have been several attempts since the beginning of the war in Iraq, some serious, some deceptive, to answer that question. There is no way, of course, to put a dollar value on the lives ended by the war, and of the many more destroyed by horrible injuries and crippling PTSD. Nevertheless, economists have made some estimates of the cost of the war in Iraq. White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was, in effect, fired for suggesting a few years ago that the war might cost up to $200 billion rather than the $60 billion claimed by the president’s budget office. The administration’s latest claim is that nearly $400 billion has been spent since the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq started.

Now economists Linda Bilmes and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz have calculated a much higher price tag. They found that the total cost could be between $1-$2 trillion, depending how much longer the troops stay in Iraq. This drastically larger amount includes the money for combat operations, but also what the government will have to pay for years to come for lifetime health care and disability benefits for returning veterans and special round-the-clock medical attention for the most seriously wounded.

Read the whole piece, and then feel free to offer your thanks to the Vermont Guardian for covering veterans health issues.

While a wide variety of events can trigger what's called post-traumatic stress disorder, this PTSD blog focuses solely on the combat-related variety.
As a new generation of warriors returns to civilian life and seeks out resources, PTSD Combat is here to help.

Newest Resources

Latest Research

Upcoming Events

March 4, 2010 in DeKalb, IL - Northern Illinois University Veterans Club hosts its first-ever community Military Benefits/ Informational Fair, 12:00 to 4:30 p.m. Ilona is slated to be the guest speaker.

Considerable Quotes

"The first shamans earned their keep in primitave societies by providing explanations and rituals that enabled man to deal with his environment and his personal anguish. Early man, no less than we, dealt with forces that he could not understand or control, and he attempted to come to grips with his vulnerablity by trying to bring order to his universe." -- Richard Gabriel in No More Heroes

"War stories end when the battle is over or when the soldier comes home. In real life, there are no moments amid smoldering hilltops for tranquil introspection. When the war is over, you pick up your gear, walk down the hill and back into the world." -- OIF vet John Crawford in The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell

"After wars' end, soldiers once again become civilians and return to their families to try to pick up where they left off. It is this process of readjustment that has more often than not been ignored by society. -- Major Robert H. Stretch, Ph.D in Textbook of Military Medicine: Vol. 6 Combat Stress

Legal Notice

The information presented on this web site is based on news reports, medical and government documents, and personal analysis. It does NOT represent therapeutic prescription or recommendation. For specific advice and information, consult your health care provider.

Comments at PTSD Combat do not necessarily represent the editor's views. Illegal or inappropriate material will be removed when brought to our attention. The existence of such does not reflect an endorsement.

This site contains at times large portions of copyrighted material not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is used for educational purposes, to forward understanding of issues that concern veterans and military families. In accordance with U.S. Copyright Law Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit. More information.